If for nothing else, Grants gazelle is distinguished in that it immortalizes a little-known Scotsman. James Augustus Grant was 33 when he joined Speke’s expedition in search of the Nile in 1860 and, though he was the first to record the gazelle which bears his name, curiously he never saw the source of the Nile. When Speke came upon it, Grant remained behind in the permanent camp. He died in 1892 and is recalled for little else other than the gazelle, which carries his name.

More curious is the fact that Grants gazelle is a positive lexicon of early European exploration in Africa. A subspecies is Roberts’s gazelle, named after Frederick Sleigh Roberts, who won the Victoria Cross in India in 1858, later led the relief of Mafeking and become the first Earl Roberts of Kandaha, Pretoria and Waterford.

Other subspecies are Brights gazelle and Peter’s gazelle. Although little concerning Bright but his name is left to posterity, Peters has a large place in the colonial history of East Africa. A German mercenary, Karl Peters led the race to annex the area of the region which is now Uganda and Tanzania.

Both grazers and browsers, Grants gazelles can endure extreme heat and go without water for long periods of their 10 to 12 years of life. Moving about throughout most of an active day, rarely seeking shade, they form herds varying in size from six to 30, usually with a male in charge of a harem of about a dozen does. Their call is an alarmed grunt or bleat.Thom-sons gazelles are their smaller look-alike and they are often found together on the Maasai plains. The only certain way of telling them apart is that in Grants the White on the buttocks reaches above the tail and in Thomson’s it ends below the root of the tail.

It should come as no surprise to know that Thomson’s gazelle is also named after an explorer-the man, perhaps ,who is the best known of all Kenya’s white visitors of the 19th century. Joseph Thomson’s name is particularly associated with the country after his epic March in 1983-84 through Maasailand which resulted in a best-selling adventure yarn of the Victorian era.

Their short stumpy tails rotating in perpetual motion, Thomson’s gazelles are flesh for almost every predator -and, where their ranges coincide, the cheetahs’ basic diet. Grass forms about 90 percent of their diet, and herbs make up the other ten per cent.Thom sons gazelle like to drink daily, but when the grass is green can go without water. They have no alarm call. Instead, they signal danger by rippling or flexing the muscle in their flanks. They can leap incredibly high in a stiff -legged, standing-still jump known as ‘stotting’ or ‘pronking’.

Females, which have smaller horns, breed all the year so that sometimes they may give birth to two fawns in 12 months. Both young and adult have the ability to ‘freeze’ in an absolutely prone position-even the chin extending horizontally along the ground-when threatened.

There is little in nature to equal the flawless economy of movement, symmetry, proportion, and blend of colour, which the Impala embodies. The emblematic species of the East African Wildlife Society is also food for almost every large predator, yet continues to maintain itself in large populations. One reason is their habit of breaking into prodigious leaps when threatened .Taking off in a series of soaring bounds, spectacularly beautiful to watch, they jump obstacles towering 3 metres above the ground or leap ditches up to 10 metres wide. Changing direction upon each landing, their zigzag course disconcerts any predator.

Set above a profile of deceptively simple beauty, their distinctive lyrate-shaped horns average just over 30 centimetres with a record length of around a metre.Their crowning glories, however, are their eyes and rumps. No beautician could have conceived anything more seductive than the delicate streak of white above each eye, and the gentle brushwork of lighter shading just below. Two white patches beneath the nostrils and above the mouth, with a shading of white beneath, complete the picture.

White buttocks are framed on either side with vertical black lines down each thigh. A prominent black stripe down the white tail, ending in a white tuft, profiles a finishing touch of symmetrical contrast almost without equal in nature colouring book. They do not carry black strips along the flank. Unique among antelope, with little ‘socks’ of black hair on the ankles just above the heels of the hind legs, impala are all grace,power,and vulnerability.

Active both day and night, they browse throughout their twelve years on leaves, bushes, short grass, and fruits. They drink dew and in some, but not all, areas can survive without visible sources of water. Impala range over acacia savannah and light woodlands in south-western and central Kenya.

Were it not for nature artistic eye, the Bush buck, though small and appealing, would arouse little interest. But its dappled white markings are a perfect example of natural camouflage. Blending into rock and bush, this shy, mainly nocturnal creature of forest and thicket, flits elusively in and out of cover. Bush buck needs their camouflage to avoid their principal enemy, the leopard.

When cornered or wounded they defend themselves and their young with considerable courage. Their short bushy tails are white underneath. Raised on the run, they serve as a warning beacon for others.

Mainly nocturnal, they spend most of their 12 to 15 years alone or in small groups, browsing on leaves, shoots, acacia pods, tubers and roots, only eating the first flush of young grass. They communicate with aloud bark, a bit like that of the baboon, and also in a range of grunts.

Always close to thick cover, bush buck are widespread in southern Kenya, the Aberdares,Mount Kenya,Marsabit ,Mount Kulal and other isolated mountain forests.

Though a day creature, the Bohor Reed buck is an elusive antelope, shy and easily startled, normally seen at sunup and sundown. These small, graceful antelope lie up during the day in reed beds or tall grasses, shaping the stems around them into a shelter. Alarmed, they go down onto the ground in a squatting position-only bolting at the last moment. They run with a peculiar gait-like animated rocking horses suddenly brought to life.

The short horns of the reed buck-hunted by all the large predators-provide little defense. An average of the less than 30 centimetres, the record length is under 45 centimetres.Sometimes solitary, they normally move around in pairs or small family groups, with young males forming bachelor herds of no more than three to four. The Bohor reed buck is widespread in southern Kenya west of Tana River.

The other, Chanlers Mountain Reed buck, very similar but slightly larger, is found in central and western Kenya on open grassed hill slopes up to 4,000 metres.

Not much bigger than a rabbit, the delicate and fragile dik-dik is the ‘Tom Thumb’ of all Kenya\’s Beautiful Animals- a gentle, grayish fawn darting through the thickets in shy and elusive flight around twilight. Their locations are easily identified by the middens which they establish up to a metre in diameter-in pairs to mark the boundaries of their territory.

Two species live in Kenya but are seen only briefly. Stalked and harried by almost every predator including baboon, these tiny, shin-high antelopes have an elfin charm, which only serves to emphasize their vulnerability.

Kirks dik-dik, their hindquarters taller than their front shoulders and with long, thin legs and sloping back, look permanently startled. They are the most common and roam dry and arid lands even where the trees are very scattered -as long as there is enough undergrowth for refuge. Extremely territorial, they rarely wander far, remaining in one small district and always moving about on the same pathways. Normally they live in pairs and occasionally form small family groups. Di k-diks feed throughout their five to ten years of life on leaves, shoots, fruits, roots, and tubers. They can go without water indefinitely.

In flight, they run in a series of zig-zag bounds. Their alarm call is a shrill whistle, a bit like a bird call-or a zik-zik cry-hence their name. The Guenthers Long-snorted dik-dik is found in northern Kenya.

Unique among antelope, the Klipspringer is the ‘chamois’ of Kenya. It almost seems able to walk up the precipitous rock faces in the craggy regions in which it lives.

Measuring around 50 t0 56 centimetres high from hoof to shoulder, and weighing between 11 and 18 kilos, the Klipspringer is a phenomenal jumper as well. It bounces on the tips of rubbery hooves as it walks, making its exceptionally strong legs look even longer-the tip-toe effect accentuating the impression.

Unlike the coat of any other African antelope, the olive-yellow coat, speckled with grey,is stiff and britle,serving as a cushion to ward off the shocks of hitting rock walls when they jump.

Living only in rocky hills, Klipspringers, like most other antelope, mark their territories with a secretion from their scent gland. They graze on herbs and shrubs and drink water when it is available, but can draw enough of their liquid needs from their food.

Bounding along at speed, occasionally leaping high into the air, the Oribi is sometimes mistaken for a duiker or reed buck. It is another of Kenya’s beautiful small antelopes, with along slender neck and silky coat.

With a colour that varies from pale fawn grey to bright reddish-brown, oribi are distinguished by the bare, black glandular patches below their large, oval-shaped ears. Their short tails, which have a black tip, are raised when running.

Almost totally grazers, spending the day in longer grass or light bush, oribi live in pairs or small parties and when alarmed give shrill loud whistles or sneezes. They leap straight up in the air so that they can scan a larger area of bush for signs of predators.

Head held high, running swiftly, the elegant little Steinbok (or Steenbok) often eludes its predators by suddenly darting down into an old aardvark burrow which, in more placid times, the females may also use to raise their young. Slim and slender-found from sea level up to the 4,500 metre contour of Kenya’s mountain regions-these delicate red-brown to fawn creatures are all poetry in motion.

Steinboks have a black crescent patch between their horns and a smaller one on the nose. Their belly and buttocks are pure white and the coat sometimes grayish with a light, silvery sheen. Living alone, pairing only during the mating season, steenbok are both browsers and grazers with a wide range of food and the ability to survive without water. They avoid hilly country but are often found in sand dunes, particularly at the Kenya Coast.

Summary

Kenya holiday safaris have been segmented into various categories, road safari tour packages, flying air safari tour packages, private & VIP safari tour packages which suit both budget and luxury travelers. These tour packages are differentiated by the kind of accommodation required and your budget as we have boarding and lodging, five star, four star, three star,campsites,apartments,hostels,self service catering m,tented camps, safari lodges and many others. When traveling by road we have vehicles of different types 4 Wheel Driver, Tour Vans, Land Rover, Range Rover, Toyota Prado, Toyota RAV 4,Volvo,Suzuki Vitara,Toyota Land cruisers and many others and the prices vary and are charged on a daily basis. Different types of aircraft are used for scheduled flights Turbo prop and regional jets whereas for private flights aircraft like single engine piston, twin engine piston, single engine turbo prop, and twin engine turbo prop and jets.

Anthony A Juma is the Editor and Director Commercial & Flights Operations at Wings Over Africa Aviation Limited. This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Tourists Private Safaris & Flights Kenya. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/services/scenic-flights.html

Anthony A Juma is the Editor and Director Commercial & Flights Operations at Wings Over Africa Aviation Limited. This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Tourists Private Safaris & Flights Kenya. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/services/scenic-flights.html

Author Bio: Anthony A Juma is the Editor and Director Commercial & Flights Operations at Wings Over Africa Aviation Limited. This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Tourists Private Safaris & Flights Kenya. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/services/scenic-flights.html

Category: Travel
Keywords: scenic flights Maasai Mara to Aberdares,scenic flights Amboseli to Samburu,scenic flights Tsavo